2009/08/05

I downloaded and installed Qik (qik.com) on Android yesterday to check it out. Qik is an app/service that allows you to broadcast video "live" from your Android phone (G1 in my case). The first thing I did, of course, was broadcast a quick video. The video quality was about as expected, a little grainy and a little too dark. These are all complaints about the G1's camera though, and not the app. The app itself performs quite well with what it has to work with. It hasn't had any noticeable hiccups or lagging when streaming live, and I think that's arguably the most important part. The audio quality is good, but not incredible, but again this is due to hardware limitations. Again, it makes the best of what is has, so that's good.

The app itself has a minimalist interface (function above form), though the look is still very sleek and not cluttered, a welcome respite from a good section of Android apps. Qik is also very simple to use: start the app and hit your shutter button or the touchscreen equivalent to begin broadcasting, the rest is automatic. Another great thing is the ability to customize a slide-up "share this" quick list. Add any contact from your phone to share by (your choice of) SMS or e-mail. There are also integration features for sharing your live broadcast on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and others which will appear in the quick share list also.

The bottom line is that the app is excellent. It makes great use of what my G1's hardware is capable of without sacrificing quality elsewhere. It's easy to use and has a sleek minimalist interface and easily integrates with your favorite services. Highly recommended for any Android user.